Prince Harry and the naked pics: what's the big deal?

In the news this week, there is one member of the Royal Family who has been up to a bit of mischief.

It seems boys will be boys, and in the case of Prince Harry, there’s no exception. Whilst partying on a recent break in Las Vegas - before he is off on military duty - pictures of Harry in a compromising position of ‘naked billiards’ were taken and released to US entertainment website TMZ.

The two photos showed the Prince in a whole new light. The first photo showed the Prince covering his crown jewels (sorry, couldn’t resist) with his own hands, whereas the second photo showed the Prince hugging an unknown female from behind.

Immediately the photos took the viral world by storm, with media outlets across the world reporting on the Prince’s escapades. In Britain, the Royal Family remained quiet, although later confirmed the photos were of the Prince. It took nearly a week for The Sun to print the photos, the first paper to do so in Britain.

But why such a furore? Haven’t we all heard about Vegas? You know the saying, “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” Should Harry be criticised for his escapades?

Well no, frankly, he shouldn’t, and if anything, this will only make him more popular. The thing with the Prince is this. He is young, he is single, he is a red-blooded male; he wants to have fun and enjoy himself like many other young men would want to do too.

The public like Prince Harry, and of course his older brother - the Duke of Cambridge - because they’re modern. They are letting the public see the monarchy in a completely new light, a version where the Royal’s are more in-touch with British society. No more stuffiness.

In fact, many people see Prince Harry as a hero. People admire him, the girls love him and the boys, well the boys want to be him. Let us face it, he is not going to be King so it is hardly going to jeopardise his Royal future.

If I was to criticise the press handling of these photos, I would direct my anger at The Sun. The way they printed them seemed wrong. They claimed most people had already seen them online as a justifiable excuse to why they should be printed on page 1. They then claimed they were not making any moral judgement from printing the photos, apart from the obvious one being by printing these entertaining photos on the front cover means they will make more money.

So here’s to Prince Harry for those rather cheeky photos that have taught the British public, and indeed the monarchy, that a few naked snaps will only boost your popularity. I mean, if it worked for Tulisa and Kim Kardashian, it can work for Harry too!

Wikipedia